Just Friends
by indulgence
Summary: And all she could think of was how very much in love she was with her best friend.  Her best friend.  You know the boy that she has known for almost nine years. There she said it. Cagalli Yula Attha is utterly and completely pathetic.    AU - AxC one shot


**Disclaimer: **I do not own GS/GSD, Bandai and Sunrise own this franchise.

**Summary:** She stared hard at his profile—wanting to emphasize the flaws in his features. So she concentrated on his bushy eyebrows…his long girly hair…that big mol—she stopped mid-thought as his eyes slid to hers and a boyish grin lightened his face. Her heart did a skip _and_ a twirl. _Great_.

**Character: **Athrun and Cagalli (One-shot AU)

**A/N: **Even though this is AU, I tried hard to make sure they are still in character. Please review.

**-x-x-x-**

They say that when two people spend insurmountable amounts of time together, there are _these feelings_ that slowly grow until it wraps them together. And Cagalli was never one to agree with this stipulation. Frankly, she thought it was ridiculous. Spending time with another person just does not guarantee these types of things. Well that wasn't until someone told her that she fell in that category. And another after that. And another following that. That finally, she thought, everyone was conspiring against her. Planting these seeds of ideas in her head-and it grew alright. It grew in her heart like a bunch of weeds, that wouldn't just die away.

And _all_ she could think of was how very much in love she was with her best friend. _Her best friend_. You know the boy that she has known for almost nine years. The one who always fiddled with anything electronic in his spare time. The one who thought watching war documentaries was a form of entertainment. The one who would never let her live down the events of her senior prom, and would always _always_ bring it up at the most inopportune time.

There she said it.

Cagalli Yula Attha is utterly and completely pathetic.

**-x-x-x-**

She'd like to think that it started a few months ago. Oh how she missed ignorance. It was such a bliss.

She and her anal boyfriend were having their usual weekend shouting match.

"Whatever. I always see you around her," she muttered angrily at him.

"Are you kidding me? You're always around Athrun!" The scathing reply came, his silver hair swung as he shook his head.

She almost choked on her own spit. "_Athrun_? I've known him for years. He's like a brother to me."

"You already have a twin brother, sweetheart," he started in that condescending voice he used when the Starbucks barista gave him a macchiato when he ordered a cappuccino. "And he snuggles with you a lot less than that douchebag."

She glared at him. Hard.

She doesn't remember exactly how the argument ended. She did, however, remember flipping him off before kicking him in the shin.

Gandhi may be right. Violence doesn't solve anything.

But it does end arguments fast and effectively.

**-x-x-x-**

They broke off not too long after that. And it had nothing to do with that subtle implication about her best friend.

Yzak and her flowed like water and oil. That and he had this meandering fixation, bordering obsession, about her relationship with Athrun.

So...ok…yeah maybe it had something to do with it.

To say the least, it was difficult to explain the reason of the breakup to the actual individual _who is_ the reason. For some insane reason, she thought bringing up the subject forefront would make it real. And it was difficult, because she pretty much told him everything, and he could always tell whenever she was lying. According to him, she was a very bad liar.

So when Athrun had asked the first time, she panicked and pinched him. He howled and to cover her embarrassment to her slight overreaction, she hurriedly walked away.

She did not fare any better the second time around he asked. She ended up dropping her textbooks on his right hand. And on the third time, she accidentally closed the door on his thumb. Call it conditional reflex or whatever, but needless to say he never asked her again.

Instead, she confided to her roommate what her ex-boyfriend had said—expecting her to retort incredulously at the idea. But all she got was a thoughtful expression and a "hmm."

"What's that suppose to mean?" she demanded, not quite liking that dreamy look her roommate had.

"C'mon, you guys maybe friends," her roommate air quoted the last word, "but there's this electricity between you two."

She snorted. "I've known him since high school. If I was ever attracted to him, I would have dated him long ago."

"Right, of course," Miriallia replied rolling her eyes. "So instead, you've settled on snuggling him every chance you get."

She frowned. She could've sworn she heard this before. "I do not."

"Of course not," Miriallia assented cheerfully. "And I'm the Queen of England!"

She threw a pillow square at her roommate's face.

**-x-x-x-**

She somberly looked down at her food, listening half-heartedly to her brother's chatter.

"What's wrong?" he asked, after realizing she barely responded to his stories about the engineering lab. Typically she would pepper his stories with objections of how boring and lame he is. But this time around, she was deathly quiet. She didn't even yawn.

"It's nothing."

He leaned in to watch her face closely. "What did Athrun do now?"

She suddenly shot straight up and glared at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"You have this look in your face when something disagreeable happens between you and Athrun," he glanced knowingly. "And right now you are wearing it," he added matter-of-factly.

"My world does not revolve around him," she grounded out slowly. "For all you know I could be worried about my senior thesis."

"But you're not," he rebutted.

"Unbelievable! Why does everyone keep insinuating that?"

For a moment, he looked at her curiously, before dismissing the thought. "I wasn't insinuating anything. But you sure are being defensive right now. What is going on?"

"Nothing," she sighed, calming down. "I just don't know anymore."

"You don't have to worry about anything. I'm sure you guys would still keep in touch, when he moves to the East Coast."

Her eyes widened. "What the hell are you talking about?"

He shifted uneasily in his seat, and looked sheepishly at his sibling. "Sorry I thou—"

"Kira!"

"I guess he hasn't told you yet. But he got accepted to one of the Ivy League schools for his MBA."

"I see," she replied quietly, trying to sift through her emotions.

"Cagalli, look, I'm sure he was just waiting for the right time to tell you."

"I bet," she muttered, before returning to look somberly at her food.

**-x-x-x-**

It was very childish of her, but she took the pains to avoid him. She finally decided to pick up his call later on that week. She had no choice. He was clogging up her voicemail and eating up all her text plan. And after all, getting in to an Ivy League school _is_ a huge accomplishment. She couldn't take that away from him.

"Congratulations!" She cheerfully answered the phone. Or at least tried to, but somehow it sounded too high pitched to be genuine.

"Cagalli, I know you're mad at me and you've been avoiding me. But I didn't mention it to you, because I'm not sure if I would go." He said breathlessly as if afraid that she might hang up on him.

"It's fine, Athrun." She muttered; trying to sound as nonchalant she can. "You did great. You should go for it."

"I don't know. I want to stay around here, close to," he paused, seemingly uncertain of what to say, a part of her hitched with anticipation, to what she wasn't sure. "You know, everyone," he finished lamely. "So, I'm still waiting to hear from UCLA and USC."

She felt herself float down to the ground and refrained from responding, trying to swallow down that odd lump in her throat.

"Cagalli, don't be angry, ok? I'm sorry"

"Stop apologizing!" She suddenly interjected, "it's not a big deal, ok? I have to go."

"Cagal—"

"Athrun, I'm just tired right now, ok? I'll call you later." She said hurriedly, before hanging up the phone.

She flung herself to the couch and groaned. She should be happy for him, but she cannot fight that feeling of uncertainty. When they had graduated high school, she didn't have anything to worry about, since they had planned to attend the same university. It had suddenly dawned to her, how Athrun had always been there for her. He has been a constant presence in her life since sophomore year high school. The thought of him moving away seemed to only stir more of these strange emotions in her.

"Gah!" She screamed in frustration, before heading to her bedroom to change.

She needed to go run.

**-x-x-x-**

To say the least, running did not help her at all. She just ended up going through a checklist over her head, trying to figure out what it was she was really feeling.

Did she find him attractive? She thought, well, sort of? He was easy on the eyes, even with his sour brooding face on. She smiled slightly at the thought and then frowned as she felt her heart do a little exhilarated dance. What that hell was that?

She shook her head. It was nothing! It was heart speeding up to catch up with her running.

Was she ever jealous of his girlfriends? She thought, well, sort of? But it wasn't really jealousy. It was more of the fact that she knew he could so do much better. She was just being a good friend. What kind of friend was she if she didn't think that he deserved better? All the girls he's been with were a little on the bimbo side, especially that one pink haired girl that somehow looked like Lacus in certain angles. And she definitely did not fit the bill as someone who could keep Athrun happy.

He needed someone who knows how to cheer him up after a visit from his father. Someone who knows that February 14 is not a day of celebration for him, but of mourning; and what he really needs is his own space until he comes around on his own. Someone who knows that despite his serious disposition, that he has a playful side. Someone who knows that he is very loyal, and unfortunately, to a certain fault.

Someone who knows that his favorite board game is Battleship; that he had a dog named Justice; that he is allergic to bees; that he is scared of spiders and when he sees one he jumps high and literally screams like a little girl. She chuckled at the memory, and then shook her head.

Athrun needs someone like, you know, her.

She suddenly stopped abruptly—her mind racing just as fast as her heart. Why did she….did she jus—

It was like a light just lit up in her head. Except it was a bright red neon sign and it spelled his name in cursive. And then in the back of her mind she could hear a voice, which suspiciously sounded very much like Miriallia's derisive tone, chanting the verse: _well, duh! Idiot!_

"Oh my god! Nnnooo! This sucks!"

Later on that day when she accidentally ran into her ex-boyfriend at Starbucks, she gave him a hard punch to the gut.

Because _really_ this was his fault. He started everything.

**-x-x-x-**

Cagalli was in a miserable mood. Her life was suddenly turned upside down with this realization.

For her own sanity, she felt the need to lessen her interactions with him—always finding an excuse not to hang out with him. If he ever thought something was up, he chose not to say anything. But she did it because honestly, it _must_ be a phase. What else could it possibly be? Or better yet, it could separation anxiety. Truth be told, she tended to not handle change well.

But after awhile she felt guilty for suddenly cutting him off. It's not like it was any of his fault. That and she missed him. _Terribly_.

So she agreed to hang out with some friends at a pub they frequented, knowing that he would be there. Everything was going well, and she was actually enjoying herself. That was until he casually put his arm around her shoulder. And it wasn't like he's never done that before. He had put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her repeatedly all these years, but this time around, she started feeling fuzzy.

It definitely did not help when he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "hey, stranger."

She mumbled as passable "hey," but she was too busy trying to hide her warming cheeks from anyone's view. She was also silently berating herself. What was she? A freshman high school on her first date?

But Athrun did not stop there. He pulled her closer to his chest, wounding his arms around her, "I've missed you."

And she suddenly felt like crying. Because her heart fluttered, like leaves falling in autumn.

_This_ was definitely not a phase.

**-x-x-x-**

It wasn't that she's never liked boys before. No. She's had a few boyfriends over the years. It's just this simmering feeling felt stronger than just "like", and it was made worse by the fact that this was her best friend.

She no longer knew how to act around him. And always felt so self-conscious.

However, there were only a few weeks left before they graduated, so she begrudgingly decided that she should relish their time together. Instead of completely cutting him off, she limited the time she spent with him.

And that was how she found herself in the library studying with him. Well actually she was staring at him, while he browsed through his textbooks and notes.

She stared hard at his profile—wanting to emphasize the flaws in his features. Because no one is ever _that _perfect. No not even him. So she concentrated on his bushy eyebrows…his long girly hair…that big mol—she stopped mid-thought as his eyes slid to hers and a boyish grin lightened his face. Her heart did a skip _and_ a twirl. She tried to fight back the redness growing on her cheeks, and instead concentrated on frowning hard. That jerk!

Her hand automatically shot out and slapped him at the back of his head, knocking of that stupid grin.

"Stop wasting time, you have a final tomorrow," she said grumpily, before turning her attention to her notes.

**-x-x-x-**

"So, when are you going to tell him?" Miriallia asked her—like it was the next obvious step to this whole debacle. Cagalli glanced blankly at her.

"Huh? What?"

"Are you telling me that you don't plan to tell him at all?"

She huffed, turning her attention back to her laptop, "what difference does it make?"

Cagalli was a little perturbed when Miriallia suddenly declared to her that she knew she liked Athrun. Actually, she was cooing, _you're in love with him_. If Miriallia figured it out, then who else knew? Was she really that obvious?

Her roommate looked at her incredulously, "do you want to be like Julia Roberts?"

"Is this some type of analogy? Or are you really asking me a question out of tangent?" She drily replied.

Miriallia asked expectantly, "you know the movie _My Best Friend's Wedding_?" She received an apathetic stare from Cagalli.

"Do I look like I would waste time watching a chick flick?"

Mirialllia groaned in frustration, and lightly smacked herself in the forehead. "Your life is such a soap opera right now; I completely forgot who I'm talking to." She took a seat across from her, before continuing her explanation. "In the movie, Julia Roberts' character is in love with her best friend, who was getting married. So, she tried to stop the wedding. The problem was she never told him before that she was in love with him. When she finally told him," she glanced up to see Cagalli's bored expression. "Well to cut long story short, he wasn't in love with her anymore. But if she told him earlier, they could have ended up together."

"I'm glad that you are giving me life lessons from chick flicks." Cagalli said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!" Miriallia interjected, suddenly pushing her laptop aside. "Think about it, Cagalli. He's probably moving to the East Coast. You wouldn't see each other often after. This is probably the best time to do it."

Cagalli stared blankly back at her—her throat suddenly dry.

What scares her the most is that her roommate has a point.

After he moves away, she doesn't have much left to lose.

**-x-x-x-**

She blew her bangs in frustration. This is ridiculous she muttered to herself—frowning at the eye mascara she had reapplied twice. All this work for a guy she has known for such a long time. She tugged at the edge of her black and white tube dress. Lacus and Miriallia had colluded her into wearing one. She grinned wickedly as she patted the black tights she slipped on. They never told her she couldn't wear tights.

She gave herself one last critical look in the mirror, before taking a deep breath and headed out to the living room. Tonight was the night. She was finally going to tell that idiot.

Her eyes swept around the room and grinned. Everyone was dressed to a tee. They were all heading out to a graduation party being thrown by one of the student bodies. Cagalli was never much of clubbing person, but who was she to say no to free booze. Besides this was one of the last parties held before their graduation, she might as well enjoy it. She just really hoped her feet could live through the night. Stiletto heels were not her forte.

A small whistle cut through her thoughts, and she turned around, "you clean up nice, Attha." Dearka said appreciatively, before nudging the blue-haired boy at his side.

If Cagalli was in her right mind, she would have walked over to Dearka and smacked him upside his head—_if _she was in his right mind. But she was too distracted by the way Athrun looked _and_ how he was looking at her too.

He looked crisp in grey dress pants and matching vest. He had folded the sleeves of his white dress shirt up to his elbows and the black tie was slightly loosened around his neck. But what left her fuzzy and warm were his eyes, the intensity it currently held as he stared at her. She felt the warmth spread over her and manifesting in her cheeks.

Dearka looked back and forth between the two and suddenly felt like he was intruding on something. "Umm…right." He mumbled, before clearing his throat and turning his attention to his other _non-ogling_ friends. "Shots, everyone! It's time to get this party started!"

Dearka's yell jolted Cagalli from _whatever_ was going on between her and the boy across from her. She gave him a small smile, before heading to the table where all their friends had started to gather.

After all the shots and chasers were poured out in those bright red plastic cups, they all raised their cups to toast.

"So, what should we toast to?" Kira asked.

"To the end of three hour lectures!" Dearka responded enthusiastically, to which Miriallia rolled her eyes to.

"Of course, you would say that, but it doesn't really count when you end up sleeping through them." Miriallia looked thoughtfully to everyone. "How about to all of us? Surviving all-nighters, senior thesis, lab work, and frat parties."

Everyone chuckled before nodding in agreement. "To us," they all said in unison. Cagalli caught Athrun's eyes, and they give each other a grin.

**-x-x-x-**

They finished a few more pre-party drinks before heading out the club. And Cagalli was even getting pretty pumped up.

After a few dances with the girls, Cagalli lost sight of Athrun. She had been waiting for the right moment to pull him aside to talk him. She headed to their booth where she found Dearka and Kira sitting together in deep conversation, looking to their right.

"Hey," she shouted to them waving, then pointed to the glass close to Kira. Her brother nodded to her, before handing the drink to her.

Slightly distracted, she tried to follow the line of their vision. "What are you guys staring at?"

Dearka grinned and pointed to his far right, across the dance floor by the bar. "Athrun's predicament."

She caught sight of Athrun in the company of a familiar looking girl. She had distinct pink hair. Cagalli immediately stopped sipping on her drink, when she realized who she was looking at. It was Athrun's ex. They were intimately close to each other swaying with the beat of the music. Cagalli could feel her dinner creeping up her stomach. She quickly turned her eyes away. And whatever energy she had a minute ago promptly dissipated as frantic thoughts flashed in her mind. Did she take too much time? She should have told him sooner. Why didn't she tell him earlier when they were sitting together in the car? Is she going to end up like Julia Roberts?

A sudden feeling of sadness spread of her. _Screw Julia Roberts_. This is real life, it's not some movie. And she realized isn't this what true friendship is? If you really care about someone, as long as they are happy you should be too. If Athrun wants to move to the East Coast, that's fine. If Athrun wants to date his ex-girlfriend again, that's fine. It's fine because this is what he wants. This is what he thinks will make him happy. And because she's his friend, she needs to support that.

She shook her head and looked across from her. Her brother was staring at her strangely. "What?" she asked tightly.

"Nothing. I just thought…" he left the sentence hanging, and Cagalli understood immediately what he was asking.

"I'm fine." She shrugged carelessly, before laughing humorlessly. "I may be a bit drunk."

Kira was about to reply when Lacus and Miriallia joined them, and Cagalli was relieved for the interruption. After she finished her drink, she made up her mind. She'll support Athrun, but it doesn't mean she'll sit back and have it rubbed in her face.

"Hey guys, I'm going to head back, ok?"

Her friends protested, while her sibling looked at her worriedly.

"I feel really tired right now. You know? I had an all-nighter last nighter," she fibbed. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Kira glanced questioningly at her.

She looked at him pleadingly. "I just need to rest." She retreated quickly and lost herself in the dancing crowd. By the time she got to the exit, and hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her back. Her heart thumped against her chest, for a moment she thought it was Athrun. It was Kira.

"I'll take you home."

"Kira!" she said irritably. "I'm older than you. Stop babying me."

"I'm just worried about you."

"I know. But I'll be fine. Ok? I'll see you later." She walked hurriedly away in to the night.

It was a cold night.

**-x-x-x-**

On the cab ride home, all Cagalli did was think and reminisce. By the time she got home, she didn't want to think or reminisce anymore. Hauling over the stiletto heels, she proceeded to clean up the mess they have left in the living room and dining room. She concentrated on the task at hand, putting away opened liquor bottles, throwing away used red plastic cups, and wiping away spills.

After everything was cleaned to her satisfaction, she headed to the bathroom to remove her smudge up make up. Maybe she was crying a little, who knows. She was determined to put her best foot forward and not think about it. After much consideration she opted to take a shower and changed to one of her bigger shirts and a pair of shorts.

She proceeded to drag her pillow and blanket to the couch and turned on the television. Still a bit light-headed and confused, she knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep right away and proceeded to turn the T.V. on.

After a few minutes of infomercials, her eyes started to drift away but suddenly opened when she thought she heard a faint knock. She lowered the volume of the television, and waited until she heard the sound again.

She frowned when she heard the knock. Did Miriallia forget her keys again? She trudged slowly to the door, running her hand through her hair, and letting out a small yawn.

"Miriallia, you're lucky I'm home…" she trailed off, before pursing her lips once she took note of who it was at her door. "Oh, it's you," she said monotonously.

For a moment Athrun had a slighted look at his face, "well hello to you too."

"Haha," she said drily. "Where is everyone?" she asked, trying to look over his shoulders.

He shrugged, "probably at the club."

"Oh," she said in a small voice. She just spent a couple of hours trying to purge any romantic thoughts of this guy. And he just decided to show up in her front door—the thoughts were trying to push their way in back to her heart again. She was just too burned out for this. "Did you forget something?" She asked rather briskly.

He shook his head, "I heard you weren't feeling well. So I brought you some food." He said, producing a brown bag behind him, and offered it tauntingly in front of her. "Hungry?"

She felt uncertain until the scent of warm gyros wafted passed her. She groaned inwardly, that _devil_. She could feel her stomach grumble in response. She slanted her eyes, "you are here past midnight with my favorite food. You make me suspicious. What did you do?"

"Ouch," he said clutching his chest, "can't a friend care?"

She found that the word _friend_ coming from him was upsetting. And that thought disconcerted her. She knows that she is not ready for this, but she also knows that she can't get rid of him easily. Knowing him, he was here for a reason. "Whatever," she grumbled, grabbing the food from his hand before stalking to the dining table.

"Nice shirt," he said after her, making her look down at her shirt. Oh. She was wearing a shirt that Athrun had left at her apartment a few months ago. Great. Of all the t-shirts to wear, even her subconscious was working against her.

"Here, you want it back?" she said grudgingly, and began to lift the shirt much to Athrun's chagrin. He was waving his arms repeatedly.

"No, no. What is wrong with you? Keep it on."

She looked at him miffed. "I'm wearing a tank top underneath, smart ass."

He glanced at her for a second, and she noticed that his cheeks looked red. _What is going on?_

"That's not what I meant," he sighed, before looking away. "You look nice in it. Keep it. It's yours."

"Umm..right," she meekly responded, feeling the blush rise on her cheeks. She covered with a weak joke. "Thanks for the food and used shirt."

He nodded. And the silence settled in. The longer it last, the more awkward the room felt. She cleared her throat, and turned to face him. "Well, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

He pushed his hands to his pant pockets, before making his way to her. "I wanted to talk to you about something. You know it's been awhile since we've really talked."

Her heart dropped, he was going to confess to her about his relationship with Meer. She felt that there was not enough air in the room, and she slowly took a seat on the couch. "Yeah," she agreed absently.

He took a sit beside her, taking her hand in his. She took a breath. She's an adult. She can handle this. "I wanted to tell you –"

"Athrun," she said sharply, shaking her head. Who is she lying to? She can't handle this right now. She's losing him twice over! "You don't have to tell me this."

"No, Cagalli, I need to," he said grasping her hand tighter. "I've been putting this off for so long."

If she thought her heart could go no lower, she was wrong. She felt it drop a few feet more at his words. So they've gotten back together a long time ago? Where was she when this all happened? Oh right, wallowing on her own feelings. "It's ok." She said quietly, untangling her hand from his. "You don't have to say anything. I already know."

"You do?" he said with utter surprise.

"Yeah," she said in a quiet voice, moving slight away from him.

"Is that why you've been hiding from me?"

There it was that stupid lump was stuck at her throat again. "Uhh, no, that's something else," she managed to murmur, pinching the bridge of her nose. When will this horrible conversation end? She just wants to curl in bed and sleep.

"Cagali—," he said in a pleading voice, as he moved closer to her.

"Athrun!" she said in an irritated tone, standing up quickly. "Please, let's just drop it, ok? You don't need my approval. I'm just your _friend_. You can date whomever you want. Whatever makes you happy."

He gave her a puzzled look, and grounded out slowly, "what are you talking about?"

She glared at him exasperatedly. Why is it that he needs to drag these words out of her? Isn't she in enough pain already? "I already saw you and Meer at the club earlier—dancing this close," she emphasized her point by curling her middle finger over her point finger.

Athrun's face remained puzzled as ever, "you," pointed at her accusingly, "think that I," pointed back to himself, "got back with Meer?"

"What are you five? Do I have to spell it out for you?" she cried, visibly upset, before turning away from him determined to crawl to her bed. "I'm tired. You can stay here or let yourself out. I don't care." She hissed.

After she passed him, she felt his arms circle around her as he pulled her back to his chest. "You idiot," he whispered in a soft affectionate tone in to her hair. "You make everything very complicated."

Cagalli stiffened at his words _and_ his tone. Did he just call her an idiot? "Whaatt?" she sputtered, thoroughly confused.

He took advantage of her confusion, and gently turned her to face him. She saw his shy smile, before leaning his forehead against hers. "I've been trying to tell you that I'm in love with you."

"What?" she asked again like a broken record.

"I was hoping for a more enthusiastic response."

"But I thoug—," he cut her off, by placing his mouth against her for soft sweet kiss.

"Was that clearer?" he asked quietly.

She nodded dazedly; her mind still reeling from his confession, trying to figure out how she couldn't have realized it sooner and how she's been agonizing these past few months. All that torture she has gone through these past months, that pseudo heartbreak earlier in the evening. Now she felt light-hearted with giddiness. It was surreal. She reached out to pinch him.

"Oww," he muttered as he rubbed his arm. "What was that for?"

"For putting me through all of this," she motioned with her hands, "these past few months."

He quirked his eyebrow at her and countered, "months for you, huh? Try years for me."

She turned her eyes back to his questioningly, "how long?"

"Since senior year high school," he whispered, a blush appearing in his cheeks, before burying his face into her hair. "But I didn't realize it until prom."

"Oh," she whispered meekly, knowing that she too was blushing. That was probably the reason he kept bringing up prom to her. She felt a tug in her heart at the thought, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I wish I knew sooner."

He chuckled, moving the two of them to settle back to the couch, "tell me about it, you tend to date insufferable guys. I took a lot of self-control not to punch that Joule guy."

She tried to glare at him but failed and instead let out a small laugh. "Like your harem of girlfriends were any better."

Athrun's face looked sheepish, "you're very hard to forget Cagalli."

She rolled her eyes at him, she knew Athrun could be mush, but this seemed like a whole other level. "I can't believe you are this sappy."

He shrugged. "I'm sure it'll pass. I've been holding it for so long."

"Right." She replied sarcastically as she pulled her blanket over them, and settling back in his arms. His warmth and scent encased her, and her body felt lulled to sleep; that or it was also possible her body finally realized it was 3 in the morning and that she's been awake since 6 yesterday morning. But there was something still in her mind that wouldn't let her sleep. "Athrun?" she whispered, and he responded with a soft ascent.

"Yzak isn't such a bad guy."

"What ?" he grunted disapprovingly.

"Well, he sort of made me realized that I liked you." She mumbled, trying to hide her face from him. He shifted her in his arms as he looked down at her.

"Just like?" He asked teasingly.

"Athrun..." she growled warningly, his grin only widened in response, before he ducked down to kiss her deeply.

And somewhere in Cagalli's mind, her Miriallia-sounding subconscious squealed in delight.

**-x-x-x-**


End file.
